October
by Raven Morning
Summary: When a case of possession proves harder then usual to solve, Hellboy and Abe are forced to take the possessed girl into the BRPD Headquarters to determine exactly what vengeful entity is inside the poor girl's body. No pairings so far. Review please!
1. Chapter 1

Rays of delicate sunlight filtered down through the leafy treetops, glittering off the flowing water of the many fountains dotting the wide expanse of property. The fountains were decorated with statues depicting many biblical scenes as well as the Holy Mary Mother of God and Jesus Christ. They all looked mournful and sad, as if frowning upon the world for its sins.

An ornate stone gargoyle stood at each corner of the premises, all facing toward the large building at the center of the grounds. The structure had many stained glass windows set in its dark stone walls. Several turrets decorated the roof, giving it a cathedral like appearance. A large crucifix stood at the apex of the roof, solemn and proud.

Large eccentric letters proclaiming 'Fairchild School of Christ' were set into the woodwork of the grandiose front door. A cobblestone path led to the door from a large circular driveway centered around a statue of Jesus Christ. Carefully trimmed flowers and hedges decorated every edge of pavement. All around, the school had a very prim, proper, and somber tone about it.

At the very mouth of the driveway, a figure stood puffing on a stub of a cigar and surveying the landscape before him. He removed the cigar from his mouth and grimaced.

"Happy place, huh, Abe?" The tall, lean figure beside him shrugged nonchalantly.

"It seems like a typical boarding school. A bit dark and styled for my taste, but a school none the less." He held a hand out, palm facing the school. "It seems so calm at first glance- yet, a deep turmoil lurks within the school." His head cocked to the side as he listened to something the other man couldn't hear. "It seems that's where our case lies. Within the school." The other mocked amazement.

"Really? You're one bright fish Abe." Abe sighed, dropping his brightly marked blue arm.

"Always the sarcasm, Hellboy?" The red demon grinned, the cigar between his teeth.

"Always."

* * *

A nun answered the door on the first knock, a scared and exhausted expression fraying her features. That look worsened five times when she set eyes on the callers.

"Holy Mother..." she uttered in a tremulous voice.

"We're the help you called for." Hellboy replied, fixing his golden gaze on her. "You gonna let us in or not?" He puffed a cloud of cigar smoke to the side, giving him the appearance of a rogue demon from hell itself. Which, was true. Partly.

"What he means," Abe interjected as the poor woman's eyes grew even wider. "is that we want to help resolve the problem you had informed the police of earlier. If you'll be kind enough to let us in, we may be able to help you." She obliged to Abe's gentler request, opening the double doors wider with trembling hand. Abe passed through, thanking her softly, while Hellboy had to sidle past the nun to get through the entrance. She stared in horror at him, muttering verses from the Scripture the entire time. Hellboy tried to keep a calm and stone faced vigil, but his thrashing prehensile tail betrayed his anger.

"Sister?" Abe asked, setting his large eyes on her.

"My name is Sister Kate."

"Thank you. Sister Kate, where exactly is this threat?" Abe asked, gazing around the meager entrance hall. For all it's looks on the outside, the inside paled in comparison.

"On the third story. Locked in a broom closet." the nun replied. Abe frowned.

"In a-?"

"I'll show you." Sister Kate moved quickly down the hall, her hand clutching the large cross pendant dangling around her neck. Abe and Hellboy were suprised at how fast the sister moved, and they actually had to work to keep up. They passed several more nuns in their black and white habits on the way, and they all held the same bewildered and frightened expression that Sister Kate did. Hellboy nudged Abe, leaning in.

"You'd think a simple possession wouldn't scare these old birds so much."

"This could be more then a possession." Abe reminded him. "You can never be sure with our job."

"Well, just in case," Hellboy's left hand settled on the handle of his prized Samaritan.

"You can't kill the possessing demon Hellboy. You can only dispel it from the possessed body. You know that."

"I'm not trying to kill it Blue. I got tranquilizers in this baby, just in case the sucker doesn't come out and we have to do it the old fashioned way."

"With those bullets?" Abe exclaimed. The nun paused slightly, shooting an alarmed glance at the pair. Abe lowered his voice as they continued on. "Red, you'll rip the child to shreds!"

"Just trust me, okay?"

* * *

They reached their destination; a hallway with a dead end. A dark aura had settled around the area. Abe could already sense the spirit. Sister Kate pointed towards the very last door on the left.

"That's the one. She's been in their for hours. After she attacked one of the other students, we had no choice. She hasn't stopped trying to get out the entire time; she's been throwing her body against the door and scratching at it- she won't stop screaming either." Just as she spoke those words, a bloodcurdling cry streaked through the air. Hellboy winced, covering one ear.

"Nasty's gotta good pair of lungs, I'll give it that."

"Please," the nun entreated. "help us." Abe nodded, and with a cautious gait, began to approach the door with his hand held up, palm facing out. Another scream emitted from the closet, followed by a pounding rattle of the door. Abe stopped short.

"Brother Blue? What is it?"

"Did you hear that?" he asked, turning slightly.

"Yeah. The screaming is kinda hard to miss."

"No, listen-" On cue, another shriek. "Something's in that scream...Like an animal's cry." It was true. The next yell had a deep rumbling, almost like a growl, behind it before reaching it's peak and becoming a roar. "Does it sound like a-"

"A lion." Hellboy finished.

"How strange." Abe returned to his reading. "As of now, I'm doing a surface reading. Names, emotions, anything I can get." Abe explained. The trembling nun nodded. "Anger. That's all I can pick up. Blind rage. A sense of duty, perhaps."

"What duty?" The demon interrupted.

"I don't know. But it's towards whatever she's angry at."

"So, the spirit is a she?" Hellboy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. Most definitely a she. Filled with womanly power and righteousness."

"Can you reach the girl?" Abe gritted his teeth, straining to stretch behind the demon and reach the dormant person inside. It was an exhausting mental effort that yielded no results.

"No. I can't get anything. No memories, names, places..."

"Just get it out of her and give me my student!" Sister Kate cried.

"Right." Hellboy unholstered his ungodly big gun and strode forward. "Watch out Abe." he warned, pushing the protesting merman out of the way. "This might get messy." He fingered the trigger as he neared the door. Raising his stone right hand, he caved the door in with a fatal blow. Dust and splinters exploded into the air. The dust slowly cleared, and Hellboy peered into the open closet.

Two bright yellow, slitted eyes gazed up at him from the floor. A hiss came from the depths of the closet, the only warning before the being sprang from the closet and set themselves on the unfortunate demon. He immediately started grabbing at whatever he could to pull it off, throwing blows with his regular hand to avoid killing the possessed human in the process. She held on fast, throwing punches with unusual power at Red's midsection.

With a last tug, he threw the girl to the ground and took aim at her shoulder. She sat up slowly, cradling the back of her head before glancing up at him in fear. The only thing he saw as he pulled the trigger was her yellow eyes clearing of their mist, and bewildered, soft brown eyes taking their place.

The echo of the gunshot carried down the hall, loud and unforgiving. Abe rushed to the girls side, knelt, and held a tender hand to her forehead. After a tense second he let out a rush of air.

"She's not dead." The Sister cried out in thanks, rushing out of the room to spread the news.

"Well of course not!" Hellboy snapped. "What did you think I was aiming at? Her heart?" Abe ignored him and radioed in to the BPRD vans stationed not to far from the school.

"I need a medic here. Now. Call the Professor and tell him we've got the possessed, but we might to bring her in for further examination." Red frowned.

"Hey, I took care of the spirit, didn't I? I saw it leave her! Why bring her back home?" Abe stood and faced him, his normally stoic countenance now worried and serious.

"No. You only pushed the spirit farther back into her mind. I heard it still screaming inside her head. We need to get rid of it some other way, or this girl might not ever be free of her tormentor." Abe walked down the hall to hold back the curious and concerned, leaving Hellboy alone with October.

For the first time Hellboy actually looked at the girl. She seemed a bit young. Only sixteen or seventeen at most. Her hair was raven, falling around her mid back. She wore a school uniform- a white sweater, a blue and green plaid skirt, long white socks that disappeared above the hem of her dress, and something like a corset resting just under her breasts. Apparently, that was her own personal touch. All her clothes were tattered and torn, the exposed skin beneath bruise and battered from being abused by the spirit. Her fingertips were bloody, wooden splinters stuck underneath her fingernails. Around her neck, she had tied a leather string, and from it hung a wooden cross.

"Who is she?" he called.

"You didn't read the file?" Abe asked back. He smiled briefly and shook his head. "Of course you didn't. What am I saying? Her name is October. She's seventeen, born here in Oregon and sent to this school at thirteen. Her parents are Garret and Lucille Wilson. They moved to Washington shortly after they sent her here."

"That's it?"

"There's not much more to report. Hopefully the child can tell us more when she wakes up. But that's only after she recovers. Which," Abe added, shooting a dirty glance over his shoulder at the demon. "could take longer then usual given the giant bullet hole in her shoulder."

"You know what? Shut up, fish stick." Abe shook his head, muttering something about Hellboy's immaturity compared to his age.

* * *

**Review please!**


	2. Chapter 2

It was only twenty minutes before the Catholic school was swarming with various agents. Hellboy stood to the side and watched them bustle about, collecting evidence, files, and information. Abe was in the midst of the trouble, looking like- excuse the pun- a fish in water. He directed the chaos quite expertly, pointing agents this way and that, calming frenzied nuns, and all the while he held a book in his hands, trying to find a more specific range of spirit to classify October's under.

Speaking of the possessed, she was already secured to a padded bed with tight leather straps running across her midsection and legs. Her shirt was earlier removed to allow the medics easier access to the wound on her shoulder. The surgery went faster and smoother then expected. They stitched it up and wrapped the wound in heavy gauze before putting her arm in a sling to prevent any further injury.

They carted her outside, but not before every girl in the school came and saw her on the way out. Several agents surrounded the bed, keeping most of the girls at bay. Hellboy and Abe followed not too far behind.

"Sheesh, these kids…"

"Red, show some empathy." Abe said, hitting him on the arm with one of the many books he was carrying. "Their friend was just possessed. It's a frightening experience, I can assure you."

"Eh, been there, done that." Hellboy said dismissively. They stepped through the school doors into an otherwise peaceful night. A giant garbage truck awaited Red and Blue, the words "Squeaky Clean" embossed on the side. It was open, a ramp leading into the back of it.

"Yippee, another four hours stuck in the tin can." Hellboy dead panned, already starting up the ramp. Abe followed, shaking his head.

"It won't be quite as boring. We've been placed in charge of the possessed girl for the duration of the trip."

"What?!" HB wheeled on the poor fishman, his tail thrashing angrily. "As if we weren't already crammed in here enough Manning has to shove us in there with Spooky!?"

"Would you rather be riding in a crate like you did in Russia?" Hellboy gave him a dead stare for five seconds before turning and stomping further into the truck, muttering obscenities.

--

The garbage truck flew silently down the road, occasionally hitting a few rough patches that would send the many paranormal instruments rattling near off their shelves. Red had opened a few discreetly located vents long ago so he could light up a cigar and not set off the smoke alarm. He was still enjoying the blue smoke as it rolled past his lips when a tinny voice issued from the intercom installed in the back.

"Okay guys, about an hour left till we pack up for the night."

"Thanks for the good news Vic." Red replied, blowing smoke towards the intercom speaker.

"Bad thing is that it's nearing midnight. Might want to watch the kid a bit closer. Heard these possessing things get a little rowdier after hours." Red rolled his eyes.

"How would we ever live without you?"

"Just be prayin' you don't have to find out." the gruff voice replied, full of laughter. The static cut off, and Red went back to entertaining himself with blowing smoke rings at Abe. His buddy, however, seemed too preoccupied to notice.

"What's up, Blue? How's our spook doing?"

"October seems to have an increased heart rate." He mumbled distractedly. He pulled back one of her eyes lids. "Pupil dilation..." He placed two fingers on her neck and his gills fluttered nervously. "Rapid breathing…"

"So? What's all that mean for us?"

"It means that October might be going through another episode of possession very soon."

"You figure we should tie her done some more?" Abe eyed the many restraints over her body.

"No, I think we're fine in that respect. Perhaps we'll just wait it out and see-"

The prone form twitched in alarm as the sleeping figure awoke. She opened her eyes, squinting at the fluorescent lights above her. Slowly her eyes adjusted to the brightness. Blinking, she shifted but found her movements severely restricted. It was at this point she truly began to panic. She struggled even more, grunting as her efforts fell flat.

"Hey, give it a rest. It's not going to work." Apparently she hadn't realized she had company in the back of the truck. Her eyes slid over to the corner where Abe and Hellboy stood, studying her. Well, Abe was studying her. Hellboy was busy lighting another cigar. Her eyes widened and a strangled scream came from her mouth.

"No, please, do not worry. We're not here to hurt you-" Abe said soothingly, stepping towards the girl. She only squirmed more within her prison, another terrified squeal sounding. Abe held out a hand, attempting to touch the girl's mind and calm her through psychic means.

--

_October._

The girl stilled at once.

_Do not be afraid of us. We are friends._

He reached for a response but was met with a blank mind.

_October, are you there?_

…_**get out.**_

_October?_

_**GETTT OUTTTTTTTT!**_

Abe's psychic mind was ripped out of October's mind with such force he nearly fell backwards. Hellboy steadied him quickly, concern scrawled on his face.

"Why isn't it working?"

"I don't know- I can't seem to reach her. I think the spirit is rousing again..."

The girl writhed, seizing uncontrollably beneath her restraints. A look of pain and struggle overcame her sweat shined face. Her back arched up, straining her body against leather straps. She clenched her fists and let out a final yell before suddenly going still once more. Abe stepped back, suprised.

"What in the-" October's head snapped to the side, looking directly at Hellboy. Her eyes slid open, glowing the same yellow, feral color he'd seen earlier.

"Demonnnn..." A sly voice escaped the girl's throat, hardly seeming like her own.

"Spirit lady." Hellboy replied, tipping an imaginary hat. Its eyes glanced down October's body, noticing its captive state.

"Why do you restrain meeeee?" it rasped. Red shrugged, trying to remain the same casual, sarcastic ass but finding it hard to as the eyes appraised him.

"Thought it'd be fun." It paused, eyes narrowing.

"I know of you."

"Oh?"

"Anung Un Rama. Son of the Dark One, bringer of the Apocalypssse." An ugly grin slid across its mouth. "How very far from home you areee."

"Couldn't I say the same about you?"

It chuckled like nails on a chalkboard. "Not necessarily demonnnn." Abe edged towards Red.

"Ask it why it's possessing October!" he whispered.

"I can hear you fishmannn." it snapped, growling at him. Abe blinked, stepping away from the bed. "Don't think me so uncapableee."

"Then talk. Why? Why the kid, and why now?"

"Sorry, all suprises must waitttt. But in good time, demon, in good timeee."

* * *

**I sort of left this chapter hanging, but oh well. I think I've revealed enough for this chapter. Review please?**


	3. Chapter 3

She awoke, breathless and hazy. Her head swam in a dark, painful fog. She had no clue where or even when she was. She opened her eyes bit by bit, squinting past the bright lights.

White.

Everything was white. Walls, ceilings, floors, sheets. She stared down at her body. Her arms lay at her side, on top of the starched sheets that covered the rest of her. Tubes flowed out her arms, pumping her full of god knows what. Her hand came up to feel her face- a feeding tube was underneath her nose, pumping liquid nutrients into her. She opened her mouth and attempted to speak. All that came out was a series of coughs. Her throat was scratchy and dry from neglect. She looked to her right, where a table and a vase of flowers sat. Beside that was a small cup of water. She reached out, and her hand felt surprisingly heavy. Clumsily, she grasped the glass and drank down the water. Again, she called out.

"Where am I?" No answer came. She swept aside the sheets and sat up with difficulty. Her IV drip bags were hanging beside her, right next to the table. She grabbed it and used it to pull herself up and maneuver across the room to a sheeted barrier. She pushed that aside and was greeted with her own reflection. She stepped back, confused. It took her a while to realize it was actually a two way mirror. She frowned at herself, observing her haggard appearance and lack of clothes save for a hospital gown.

"Where am I?" she asked her reflection. "This is not my school, and I am _not _supposed to be here- where ever here is. This has got to be a mistake."

_No. No mistake._

She whirled around, looking for the origin of the voice.

"Hello?!"

_Don't bother October. I'm not in the room with you, and I'm not on the other side of that mirror either._

"Then how the are you talking to me?!" she yelled, gripping the IV stand with both hands.

_It's not important right now. What is important is that you lie down. Your anesthesia hasn't worn off yet and you might hurt yourself._

"Tell me how to get out of here. Please." Her voice sounded small and scared compared to the one in her head- strong, analytical and composed.

_I can't. Not until we're sure you're okay._

"But I am okay!" she insisted.

_You were hurt during an earlier...episode. We want to make sure that doesn't happen again and figure out what caused it._

"Episode?"

_All will be explained soon. Someone will come in and bring you some food. You can talk with them about all of this. For now, just sit._

October wanted to protest further, to ask more questions, but as the effects of the drugs worsened she realized the voice knew best. She walked back to the hospital bed and sat down, her hands nervously combing through her hair.

* * *

Sometime later (she didn't know how long for there were no clocks or windows), October was still sitting on her bed, knees drawn to her chest and her hand idly playing with the wooden cross hanging from around her neck. She wasn't sure whether to trust the voice or not. She worried if the voice was ever there to begin with, or that perhaps she was possessed like the poor people she'd read about in her religious studies.

"Are you alright?" October jumped, her head whipping around to see if this voice was really there or not. It was; a short pale woman with strange, lopsided black hair peeked in past the door. She was donned in leather pants and a jacket. A gun was holstered in a sturdy belt slung around her hips. At this, October cowered into the sheets.

"I've been better." she squeaked. The woman walked farther in.

"I hope you don't mind," She turned and wheeled in a food tray, carrying a sandwich, fruit, and a glass of juice. "but I brought you some food." October recalled what the voice told her. A gleam of hope lit within her. Maybe she'd get the answers she was looking for.

"The voice said you'd come." Immediately October cringed- she must've sounded crazy.

"Voice?" the woman asked. "Oh, you must mean Abe. Has he been talking to you?"

"If this Abe can talk to people without having to be in the room with them, then I suppose he has."

"Yes, he can." The lady took a chair and pulled it to October's bedside, then sat down with a smile. "It's one of his...gifts. If you could call them that."

"I'm not sure I understand." October replied.

"It's complicated." She handed October the plate and motioned for her to eat.

"So, I'm guessing you know who I am. But I have yet to learn your name." October took a bite of the sandwich and suddenly realized how ravenous she was. She hadn't had anything to eat for at least a day. Tearing into the sandwich, she looked up at the woman for her answer.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Liz." she said, extending a hand, which was warmly accepted.

"Mish fu eet ooh." October mumbled through a mouthful of BLT. Oddly enough, when she was around this woman, she was calmer. She had such a laid-back air about her, like she was at home in this place- where ever this place was. "The voice- Abe, as you called him- told me you'd explain why I'm here. I was hoping you could tell me." Liz dropped her gaze and bit her lip.

"This isn't going to be easy to believe." she finally said, hesitation in her voice. "Trust me, I didn't want to believe it when I was first brought here either." October nodded, prodding her on. "This place, outside of this room, is called the BPRD. The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. It's purpose is to find and keep at bay creatures most of the world doesn't believe exist. All the things that hide under the bed, the stuff of faerie tales, monsters- this is our area of expertise. We protect the world from everything that goes bump in the night."

"Monsters-?" Liz held up a hand.

"I know, it's confusing. But please, let me finish. When we got a call from your boarding school, we sent down two of our agents to take care of it. What we found, however, wasn't your run-of-the-mill gnome or werewolf. We found you. You were being possessed by some form of powerful spirit- good or evil, we couldn't tell." October grasped the cross at her chest.

"Mother Mary.... _possessed?_" Liz nodded.

"Our leading agent tried to expel the spirit from your body, but it refused to come out, and it refused to identify itself. Unfortunately, it's still inside you, dormant for the time being." The blood rushed from October's face and she had to grab the sides of the bed to keep from fainting.

"I-I'm possessed...But _why?!_ I'm not evil! I'm a devout follower!" She held up the cross frantically. "I do my prayers, I swear!" Liz grabbed October's shoulders.

"It's not a question of faith, October!" she shouted. "Possession can happen to anyone, at anytime. Some people are more susceptible to it then others. You happen to be one of those people."

"But why?" She choked on a sob and hung her head, refusing to cry. Possession? This couldn't be true.

"We've taken you here to observe your health and behavior, in hopes to find out what's possessing you and how to get it out."

"Do I have to stay in this room until you get it out of me?"

"No, this is only temporary. In fact, we're clearing out a room closest to the library, which is where you will be going everyday to work with Abe."

"The mind speaker?" Liz nodded. "He'll be working with you on delving into your subconscious."

"He can go inside my mind as well?!" October cried.

"October, in the BPRD, we have a few people who are like Abe. Different. People with gifts." Liz stood up and stepped back from the bed, lifting her hand. Curious, October watched. "As I said before, I was brought here too. In fact, I was much younger then you, only a child, when I stayed here. I am one of those 'different' people. Because of my gift, and my inability to control it, I killed many people close to me."

She held her palm out, and a bright gleam of light appeared in the middle of it. The gleam quickly turned into a spark, which birthed several tongues of blue flame, consuming Liz's hand. October screamed, scrambling to help her, but Liz was perfectly calm as her entire hand was engulfed in writhing flames. Yet, even as the fire lived, her skin was unscathed. Liz wiggled her fingers, manipulating the fire to her will. "But I learned to contain it, to tame the fire. ...This is our home. A home for different people. And as of now, you're different."

* * *

No more then a couple minutes later, October was given her school uniform back to wear instead of the threadbare hospital gown. As she slipped the jacket on, Liz poked her head into the room and smiled.

"If your well enough, the Professor would like me to take you to see him." October snorted sarcastically.

"I'm not exactly what one would call 'well'. But okay, I'd be happy to see this man." October followed Liz as she stepped out of the room and walked down the hallway. It still had the feel of a hospital to it. Everything was white. October had started to hate that color over the past few hours.

"We have a pretty large hospital wing. Our agents get hurt alot on the line of duty, including me."

"I could imagine." she said, staring as they passed a man that seemed to have an enormous bite mark on his bandaged torso. "Who is this Professor anyway? Is he like you?"

"Oh, no." Liz laughed. "The Professor is the founder of the BPRD. He's like a father to everyone here. It's hard to imagine the Bureau without him."

The two came to the end of the hallway, to a set of double doors. Passing through those, they entered a giant foyer that split off into several different wings. The walls were thick concrete, and the floor was solid black marble. Pipes and tubes lined the ceilings, and skylights were intermittently scattered about, letting in bright rays of midday sun. Several platform elevators installed right into the walls carried bustling agents in suits up and down to higher and lower floors. A giant golden insignia of a fist clenching a sword was set into the marble in the very center of the foyer.

Everything was very busy. Agents were walking around, carrying all sorts of things from files to artifacts. October even saw one man holding what she refused to believe was a faerie. Liz turned to her and smiled.

"October, welcome to the BPRD."

* * *

**So, that's all for this part! Next chapter, she'll meet Big Red, Blue, and Prof. Broom to learn what her stay at the BPRD will entail. Review, please?**


End file.
